Graffiti costing LA millions

Los Angeles officials on Wednesday sought a first-of-its-kind court injunction against a tagging crew blamed for an "epidemic" of graffiti, including vandalism on a stretch of the L.A. River that cost nearly $4 million to remove.

The request filed by the City Attorney's Office seeks to restrict the activities of the Metro Transit Assassins, who officials blame for some 500 separate incidents of graffiti.

"This is one of the most prolific and destructive graffiti or `tagging' crews" in L.A., said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the city attorney.

A hearing is scheduled Aug. 31 on the request for the injunction, which seeks to ban the 10 known adult members of the crew from associating with one another or from possessing weapons or graffiti tools. It also would impose an overnight curfew and would prohibit the suspected vandals from being on foot on freeways, near the L.A. River or on any property owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that shares the same initials as the taggers.

"The graffiti epidemic is fueled by a sub-culture that values personal fame and recognition over the property rights of others," said the suit filed by Deputy City Attorney Travis Austin.

The MTA's most notorious piece of graffiti is a quarter-mile-long "bomb" painted on the concrete walls of the Los Angeles River near downtown.

The vandals used a helicopter to scout the location, placing their mark under the flight paths of Bob Hope Airport and LAX so it was visible to freeway and airplane traffic, officials said.

Because of the environmental hazards the paint posed to the watershed, the graffiti cost an estimated $3.7 million to remove. The city's suit seeks restitution for those repairs, in addition to $250,000 in penalties.

In the San Fernando Valley, MTA graffiti has appeared on buildings in Canoga Park and North Hollywood and recently began appearing on the Hollywood Freeway.

"MTA is active, recent and in the Valley," said Deputy City Attorney Jim McDougal, who is working with Austin on the case.

The Los Angeles Office of Community Beautification estimates that it spends more than $7 million annually for graffiti abatement and cleanup costs.

The injunction is similar to several court injunctions designed to deter gang activity in specific areas, such as an order obtained in April against the Grape Street Crips and other drug dealers on Skid Row.

However, the injunction does not define a specific location in which the taggers are prohibited.

"MTA taggers have been known to place their monikers all over the city, in very high-profile locations," Mateljan said. "As a result, we did not seek a specific safety zone for the injunction."

The injunction may do little to stop MTA taggers, who could easily change their monikers as taggers often do, said Officer Kevin Hawn of the LAPD's North Hollywood Tagger Task Force. Several MTA members also belong to other crews.

"You may see a decline in MTA but you'll probably see an increase in a different crew," Hawn said. "I wish I had a solid answer on getting graffiti out of L.A., but I think it's here to stay."